Extension
It Starts With Us
To encourage clientele to make proactive choices as it pertains to their overall health & well-being
Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Tiffany Bolinger, Matthew Futrell, Kelly Jackson, Kaitlyne Metsker, Jeremiah Johnson, Mary Anne Garnett
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
Christian County is home to 23.8% of adults (2.4% higher than the state percentage) who report having poor health (CEDIK, 2014). Indicators of this include the 63% of the population that is considered overweight or obese and the 19% that eat less that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day (Christian County Health Department, 2015). Chronic conditions associated with the described quality of life include increased risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, which 11% of Kentuckians in Christian County have received a diagnosis (Christian County Health Department, 2015).
Physical education and Nutrition Education Programs help individuals and families gain the knowledge necessary to know how to gain access to healthier food options, stretch their food dollars, and elevate their overall well-being through daily physical activity. Program councils and the County Extension Council see the benefits of these type of programs as they seek to decrease hunger and promote healthy lifestyles in communities and the county. Agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.
* A decreased in the percentage of the population that is considered overweight or obese
* Increased practice and promotion of physical activity and daily healthy eating
* Mental health and well-being improvement in local Kentuckians
* Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension
* Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables by 1 or more servings a day
* Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.
* Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding and older age
* Practice of physical activity in families and communities and decreased time spent on sedentary behaviors
* Changes related to obesity, physical activity and healthy eating.
* Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.
* Access more local foods
* Redeem Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program benefit
* Plant, harvest and preserve produce
* Apply improved food preparation skills, food management skills, food safety and healthy eating habits
Participants will:
* Learn the difference between portion and serving sizes, and learn how to prepare a healthy snack/meal
* Understand the relationship between mental and physical health, and between disease and weight
* Learn how to read food labels, grow, prepare, preserve and serve food
* Understand relationship between caloric intake and energy output
* Increase knowledge of the benefits of physical activity, learn health related terminology and learn that fitness can be elevate overall well-being while bettering health
* Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being
* Learn to incorporate unfamiliar foods or foods not currently eaten into a healthy diet
* Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management
Initial Outcome: Youth will be able to apply nutrition education to cooking projects
Indicator: 4-H Cooking Clubs
Method: project evaluations through Fairs and cooking competitions
Timeline: Program year 2019-2020
Initial Outcome: Youth will gain knowledge on nutrition and physical education to help obtain a better quality of life
Indicator: YMCA Summer Camp, Healthy Lifestyle Camps, DanceFit Clubs
Method: pre/post evaluation
Timeline: Program year 2019-2020
Intermediate Outcome: Youth will be able to teach peers the importance of exercise and physical fitness by way of leading classes themselves
Indicator: 4-H Homeschool P.E., 4-H DanceFit
Method: end of year evaluation
Timeline: Program year 2019-2020
Audience: Farmer's Market Clientele
Project or Activity: Taste testing of locally grown foods
Content or Curriculum: Plate it Up!
Inputs: Farmer's Market, Plate it Up Curriculum, Agents and Assitants
Date: yearly; June-September
Audience: Christian County & Ft. Campbell Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking Clubs
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Cooking, Superstar Chef Series, Professor Popcorn
Inputs: Agents, Military Staff Volunteers, 4-H Volunteer Leaders, Ft. Campbell Child, Youth & School Services, Extension Office, program support funds
Date: yearly; September -May
Audience:Elementary & Middle School Students
Project or Activity: School Nutrition Programs
Content or Curriculum: Professor Popcorn, Farm 2 Table, Super Star Chef
Inputs: Agents, Program Support Funds, Teachers
Date: Program plan year 2019/2020
Audience: Adults/Seniors
Project or Activity: nutrition and physical fitness
Content or Curriculum: Matter of Balance
Inputs: Agent, SNAP Assistant, facilities, curriculum materials
Date: Fall 2019
Audience: Middle School Students
Project or Activity: Nutrition Education
Content or Curriculum: My Plate- The Kentucky Way
Inputs: Agent, School Staff, curriculum materials
Date: Spring 2020
Audience: Middle School Students
Project or Activity: Nutrition Education
Content or Curriculum: Food Label FUNdamentals
Inputs: Agent, School Staff, curriculum materials
Date: Spring 2019 or Fall 2020
Audience: SNAP Recipients; Low income individuals/families
Project or Activity: SNAP-ED Programming
Content or Curriculum: SNAP-ED Core Curriculum
Inputs: SNAP Assistant; community partners, curriculum materials
Date: year round
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Home Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Home Food Preservation Curriculum
Inputs: agent, kitchen, preservation materials/curriculum
Date: Summer 2020
Audience: YMCA Summer Camp Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H YMCA Camp
Content or Curriculum: SPARK, 4-H Cooking, Professor Popcorn
Inputs: YMCA, Agents, Program Support Funds- 4-H
Date: May - August
Audience: Ft. Campbell Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Homeschool P.E
Content or Curriculum: SPARK, Steps to a Healthy Teen, Up For The Challenge, Lifetime Fitness, Healthy Decisions
Inputs: Ft. Campbell Child, School & Youth Services, Agents, Military Staff Volunteers
Date: August - May
Audience: Homemaker Members, General Public
Project or Activity: Leader Trainings, Workshops, Seminars
Content or Curriculum: Cultural Diversity in Food; Economical Entrees; Zumba, Yoga, Pilates and More.
Inputs: Specialist Support, Extension Homemaker resources, other university extension resources, eXtension resources
Date: August - May
Audience: Housing Authority Summer Camp
Project or Activity: Nutrition Education, Literacy, Physical Activity
Content or Curriculum: Professor Popcorn, LEAP
Inputs: Agent, Curriculum, Recipe Ingredients, Activity supplies
Date: June-July 2019
Author: Tiffany Bolinger
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Try it once, try it twice, trying new foods is nice! Getting preschoolers to try new foods is hard…but it is worth the challenge! According to the CDC, the preschool years (ages 2-5) set the stage for the development of healthy habits and play an essential role in how children think, eat, and behave as they grow into adults. The Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) partnered with the Pembroke Elementary Preschool to provide monthly “Stories and Snacks&rd
Author: Tiffany Bolinger
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Over the past several years eating out has become a way of life and cooking at home almost seems to be a lost art. It is well known that eating out; particularly fast food; on a regular basis can increase risk for weight gain and obesity as well as limits access to nutrient rich foods such as fruits and vegetables. According to Kentucky Health Facts (BRFSS), 71% of Christian County residents have a BMI score placing them in either the overweight or obese categories and only 9% of Christian
Author: Tiffany Bolinger
Major Program: Nurturing Parenting
COVID-19...In a short matter of time, Extension programs as we know came to a halt. Events, clubs, and programs were cancelled in their traditional manner and agents began planning and preparing ways to continue to reach clientele. With schools being closed and students at home, a strain was placed on parents and caregivers, who might also be working from home, to provide educational and fun activities for youth. As Extension Agents, we are familiar with adapting to any situation and meetin
Author: Matthew Futrell
Major Program: Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests
Pesticides Can Protect The WorldPracticing safe pesticide applications is one of the most critical things a producer can do. As more and more crops have resistant traits and vulnerabilities, it is more important than ever to be educated about the pesticide applications that are made on the farm or in the greenhouse. Each year workers are exposed to thousands of pounds of pesticides which could lead to illness, loss of life, or injury if the appropriate methods are not used. Ac
Author: Tiffany Bolinger
Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
In March of 2020 COVID-19 hit fast and furiously shutting down businesses and making social isolation necessary. The amount of information coming out through all media outlets was often overwhelming and unclear. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service has always taken pride in being a reliable source of research-based information and 2020 has been no exception. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension service quickly addressed the need to provide timely educational mater
